Question

Who knew there were so many great words that start with the letter D? These are words that will benefit you both in college and after your graduate because they will amplify your written and spoken English. Some may be familiar to you; others may not. In either case, in your Word Journal, you will list the words and their definitions. Even if you think you know the definition of a word, I encourage you to look it up in a dictionary (or on a dictionary website) to be sure.

Some words may have multiple definitions. It is fine for you to include the first two or three definitions listed in the dictionary entry. Those will be the most common definitions for the word.

Here is your list of D words:

decorum

deference

delusion

denigrate

desiccate

despotic

diatribe

dichotomy

diction

didactic

discern

disingenuous

disparate

dissipate

divergent

dubious

This next group of words begin with the letters E and F. These are helpful words to learn because they will benefit you both now and after you graduate. Try to find ways to use these words as you write and speak to others. Even if you think you know what the word means, I encourage you to look it up.  

Your Word Journal should include each word and its definition.

Here are your E and F words (and one isn't a word, it's an abbreviation):

1. e.g.
2. egregious
3. elude
4. emergent
5. empathy
6. emulate
7. enigma
8. ennui
9. epiphany
10. epitaph
11. eradicate
12. erudite
13. eschew
14. ethereal
15. exacerbate
16. existential
17. exponential
18. extrapolate
19. extricate
20. formative
21. formidable
22. fruition

Answer 1

Group 1

1. Decorum – appropriate social behaviour
2. Deference – respect and honour,
3. the willingness to fulfil the wishes of others
4. Delusion – a false belief or idea that is resistant to confrontation with actual facts
5. Denigrate – to belittle or degrade someone
6. Desiccate – to dry by removing moisture
7. Despotic – someone who exercises his power in an unjust, harsh or cruel way
8. Diatribe – an abusive or bitter attach
9. Dichotomy – a separation or division into two
10. Diction – choice and use of words with regard to effective communication
11. Didactic – instructive or intended to teach or demonstrate
12. Discern- to detect with the senses, especially with the eyes
13. Disingenuous – unworthy of honour
14. Disparate – composed of inherently different or distinct elements
15. Dissipate – to scatter in different directions and vanish
16. Divergent – growing further apart
17. Dubious – arousing doubt or suspicion

Group 2

1. e.g. – ‘for example,’ used to introduce an illustrative example
2. egregious – outrageously bad or shocking
3. elude – to escape from someone or something
4. emergent – to emerge or come into view or existence
5. empathy – identifying or understanding the thoughts, feelings, or emotional state of others.
6. emulate – to attempt to equal or be the same as someone
7. enigma – something puzzling, mysterious or inexplicable
8. ennui – a gripping listlessness caused by boredom
9. epiphany – a manifestation or appearance of a divine or superhuman being
10. epitaph – an inscription on a gravestone in memory of the deceased
11. eradicate – to destroy completely and put an end to it
12. erudite – learned with emphasis on knowledge gained by books
13. eschew – to avoid or shy away from
14. ethereal – pertaining to the upper, purer air, or to the higher regions beyond the earth
15. exacerbate – to make a problem or situation worse
16. existential – pertaining to the very existence of
17. exponential – characterised by a very rapid rate of change, especially an increase
18. extrapolate – to infer by extending the known information
19. extricate – to free or disengage
20. formative – pertaining to the formation and subsequent growth of
21. formidable – causing fear, dread or awe; impressive feature that commands strength
22. fruition – the fulfilment of something you worked for